Finally

It may come as no surprise to most people, but I was an awkward pre-teen.  I always believed that once I became a teen that gawkiness would magically disappear and I would become the belle of the ball.  Unlike Cinderella that didn't happen, but it was my faith in milestones that kept me going.  Wendy Mass's novel Finally is about reaching milestones, making wishes and believing in who you are -- even if you don't recognize yourself at that moment in time!

Rory Swenson is hours away from turning 12.  She has compiled a list of things she'll be able to do once she reaches the magical age:  own a cell phone, stay home alone, own a pet, get her ears pierced, attend a boy-girl party, be a baby-sitter, watch Friday the Thirteenth IX and a few other things that are almost as important.  Rory's life is about to get much more exciting.

Not only is Rory turning 12, but her school just happens to be the set location of a new teen movie starring teen heartthrob, Jake Harrison.  Rory begins to check off items from her "When I'm Finally Twelve" list, and the results of each completed task aren't always what she has expected.  However, each passing task leads her closer and closer to what she needs.

I enjoyed the realistic characters, teenager and adult, created by Mass.  Their conversations were identifiable and not reaching for slang or trying to be overly hip.  The story very much taught a lesson, but wasn't over-bearing or preachy.  Through a clever set of coincidences, Wendy Mass shows the reader that sometimes what we think we want is not what we know we need deep down inside.  I will definitely be reading more of this author's books and recommending them to my students!